The inaugural WXV competition is set to kick off, with the Wallaroos at the forefront of the push towards increasing competitiveness, reach and impact of elite women’s rugby.
The three-tier competition was created in 2021, designed to create a pathway for international teams to play regular game-time against fellow nations.
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It is set to kick off from October 20, with the Wallaroos set to play in the opener against world number one England
"We made a pledge at a spectacular Rugby World Cup 2021 in New Zealand to accelerate the advancement of the women’s game. Much progress is being made at rapid pace and today we are marking another milestone with confirmation of the dates and venues for the inaugural WXV competition," World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont said.
“With women and girls leading our strategy to grow the sport on a global basis, this competition will increase the reach and impact of the sport and drive the overall competitiveness of women’s international rugby as we look forward to an expanded 16-team Rugby World Cup 2025 in England and subsequent Rugby World Cups in Australia in 2029 and USA in 2033.”
Here is everything you need to know about WXV
The Wallaroos will play in WXV 1, the premier competition in WXV.
This will see them play England, France and Wales over a three week period starting on October 20 in New Zealand.
Wallaroos v England, 7:00pm NZDT/5:00pm AEDT, Saturday 20 October at Sky Stadium, Wellington
Wallaroos v France, 7:00pm NZDT/5:00pm AEDT, Saturday 28 October at Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin
Wallaroos v Wales, 7:00pm NZDT/5:00pm AEDT, Friday 3 November at Mt Smart Stadium, Auckland
WXV is an eighteen-team, three-level competition that is set to debut in October and November 2023.
The tiers are split as follows:
WXV 1 will consist of the top three teams from the Women’s Six Nations (Europe) and the top three teams from the Pacific Four Series, held in New Zealand
They will be divided into two pools consisting of teams from the same competition, but will only play opposition in the other pool
In 2023, this includes England, Wales, France, New Zealand, Australia and Canada
There will be no promotion or relegation in the first season of WXV 1.
WXV 2 consists of the fourth-placed team from the Six Nations and Pacific Four Series, the winner of a playoff between the fifth placed team in the Six Nations and the winners of the Rugby Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania Women's Championship.
In 2023, this includes Italy, Japan, Scotland, South Africa, Samoa and the United States, who will play in South Africa
The sixth-placed regional position in the WXV 2 competition at the end of each season will be relegated to WVX 3.
WXV 3 consists of the bottom ranked team in the Six Nations, the loser of the playoff between the 5th placed team in the Six Nations and the champion of the Rugby Europe Women's Championship, the champion of South America, and the runners-up of the Asia, Africa and Oceania tournaments.
In 2023, this includes Columbia, Fiji, Spain, Ireland, Kazakhstan and Kenya and will be held in Dubai.
The winner will be promoted to WXV 2 whilst the lowest rank side will play the highest ranked side in the World Rugby Rankings not included in WXV.
WXV 1 will be shown on Stan Sport, who will broadcast all nine fixtures of the premier WXV competition.
This will be live, ad-free and on-demand, starting with the Wallaroos taking on England on October 20.
RugbyPass TV is expected to show every match of WXV 2 and WXV 3.
